A major health group in Taiwan is calling on the government to add a tax to sugary drinks, like soda and bubble tea. Why? They believe it’s time for people to drink less sugar — and they have the numbers to back it up.
Survey Shows: People Know Sugar Is Bad, But Still Drink It
The Taiwan Health Alliance ran a poll recently to find out how people feel about sugary drinks. It turns out, 92.3% of the people they asked agreed that sugary drinks are unhealthy. Still, over 40% said they drink them more than three times a week!
Wu Yu-chin, the director of the alliance, says this is a big problem. “We want the government to help,” she explained. “Raise the prices of high-sugar drinks and lower the prices of sugar-free ones.” Wu believes that with better warnings and smart incentives, people will make healthier choices.
How Much Sugar Is Too Much?
Health experts say the average adult should eat no more than 50 grams of sugar a day — that’s about one and a half bottles of Coke or two cups of orange juice. But Taiwan’s adults are taking in much more.
“Right now, the average Taiwanese person gets about 17.3% of their calories from sugar,” said Chia Shu-li, deputy director-general of the Health Promotion Administration. “That’s way above the World Health Organization’s advice of 10%.”
Where’s all that sugar coming from? Sweets, candy, sodas, and those ever-popular hand-shaken drinks like bubble tea. All that sugar is taking a toll on people’s health — about half of Taiwan’s population is now overweight.
People Support a Sugar Tax
Wu shared another key fact from the survey: 73.8% of people said they support a sugar tax. That means most people are on board with the idea — even if it might cost them a little more at the checkout counter.
Chen Pei-hung, who works at National Taiwan University Hospital, warned that sugar is linked to big health problems like obesity, heart disease, and even cancer. “Half the world already has some kind of sugar tax,” she said. “Taiwan should think about joining them.”
People Want Better Food Safety Too
The survey didn’t just ask about sugar. It also showed that 43.4% of people aren’t happy with how the government is handling food safety. Many say more should be done at the source, and more inspections are needed.
The Taiwan Health Alliance has a list of suggestions. They want the government to:
- Add better warning labels on high-sugar, high-sodium, and high-calorie products
- Offer discounts or rewards for buying drinks with little or no sugar
- Add a sugar tax to cut back on sugary drink sales
- Improve food safety checks and food source inspections
Wu put it simply: “We need the government to step up. People’s health depends on it.”
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